Once considered one of the most iconic and respected figures in all of sports, the revelation that Lance Armstrong had a history of using performance-enhancing drugs stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles and turned him into a public pariah.
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However, in a recent interview with the BBC, Armstrong doubled down on that past behavior, explaining that he would do the same thing over again, given the context.
"If I was racing in 2015, no, I wouldn't do it again because I don't think you have to," he said. "If you take me back to 1995, when doping was completely pervasive, I would probably do it again."
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Armstrong further stated that his actions were that of a flawed man in an "imperfect" time, but maintained the the belief that he earned those seven Tour de France titles between 1999 and 2005.
Armstrong also defended his tainted legacy on the grounds that his high profile success helped raise millions of dollars for his LIVESTRONG cancer research foundation, money that was otherwise unlikely to have been raised without his dominant cycling performances.
It's a long interview, but well worth the read. In total Armstrong comes across in equal parts as a sympathetic and unpalatable figure, a real-life Icarus unable to fully comprehend or come to terms with his fall from grace.
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